AFTER   EVEREST
be dead. My friend and fellow-climber, Mallory, one in
spirit with me—dead ?—I can hardly believe it.
June 12th.—They are all arriving at the Base now. No
signs of Mallory and Irvine. Odell went up on the gth to
27,000 feet, and found the tent there empty. There were
only two possibilities—-accident or benightment. It is
terrible. But there are few better deaths than to die in
high endeavour, and Everest is the finest cenotaph in the
world to a couple of the best of men.
June x$th.—What was it—accident, or were they be-
nighted ? The latter is almost impossible—there was a bit
of a moon, and if they had got up to the top, even late,
it is almost impossible that they would not have got back
to the Camp, for once off the rocks (which are easy) *
the last 800 feet towards the Camp is practically a scree-
run. Moreover, they were last seen just below the section
of the mountain (about 28,200-28,300 feet) where Norton
and I saw that the rock was loose and dangerous-looking.
Personally, I think it almost certain that they had an
accident on this rock, and may have fallen anything from
100 to 10,000 feet. Norton forbade search above 27,000
feet as involving too much risk on what was a hopeless task
(for, if they were injured on the 8th, the night would have
assuredly frozen them to death, and if killed outright,
rescue parties would be useless). I wanted to explore
the base of the mountain on this (north) side, but my
condition (especially my throat) was not up to it. Hazard
has now gone up the glacier and is going to look out for
signs of them, but I think he won't find anything. Any-
way, they are gone now, for certain, perhaps after having
got to the top, perhaps on the way up—nobody will ever
know. It is very sad, and a rotten ending to the expedition.
Especially do I feel the loss of Mallory, who was a particular
friend of mine, and one of the few people on this show
with whom one could really talk freely of more serious
^1 Subsequent observations by the party of 1933 proved that some
of the rocks above 28,000 feet were distinctly dinicult.
134